I knocked this up the other week. You need to put the two together in some sort of word publisher (any better suggestions?).

SURF - UK Buoy Map small.jpg (248.05 KiB) Viewed 1145 times

compass2a.jpg (246.27 KiB) Viewed 1160 times

If you put them in word - click on the compass picture, then open the toolbox and click 'choose transparent colour', then click on the white background of the compass. You should now be able to drag the compass over the wave buoy locations and still see the map below. And if you increase the size of the compass you have some kind of surf tool which is probably quite useless.

Just had a play around with something called http://www.image-maps.com/and knocked this map up, but with clickable links to the available WWIII forecast bulletins.

UK&FRANCE Buoy map.jpg (246.74 KiB) Viewed 1061 times

If anyone wants a copy PM me your email addy and i'll send you over the .html file so you can run it in your browser.It's all info thats on NOAAs website anyway but for some reason their map doesn't have clicky links to all the buoys and it also needs to load the graphics as well. So this is a wee bit more user friendly. In all about 25-30 buoys listed. Is this legal?If anyones got a website they want to run this on I have the code image-maps created and can give you the .jpg to host as well.Here's an example of what the links look like... http://polar.ncep.noaa.gov/waves/WEB_P/ ... 62107.bullThanks again to who-ever it was who 1st posted links to this data. Been my saviour since MSW took away the swell track.

There are about 7 buoys that you can't click on because NOAA don't do bulletins for them. Hope it displays ok for you and you find it useful. Be good to get some feed back. I'm thinking of doing this for all the bulletins they do for worldwide buoys.

Not exactly accurate though unfortunately. Example - 31st July "My advice would be to head for the west coast of Portugal and hope the nortada or what ever it is called isn't too strong, because there ain't going to be waves here for at least a week"

Trouble is yesterday was PUMPING and it looks like there will be head high and over waves the rest of the week.

i have the best method of surf forecating i keep it simple i take it on a day to day basis i eyeball the sea and use my instinct even in the water you can feel how a swell is working and using your knowledge of beaches and tides voila result...only really works locally so not for everyone...

mal-nourished wrote:i have the best method of surf forecating i keep it simple i take it on a day to day basis i eyeball the sea and use my instinct even in the water you can feel how a swell is working and using your knowledge of beaches and tides voila result...only really works locally so not for everyone...

aye but you've got one of the best 'surf forecasting windows' I've ever seen in your living room. If there's white water breaking off the lighthouse then there's a rideable wave ........ simples

mal-nourished wrote:i have the best method of surf forecating i keep it simple i take it on a day to day basis i eyeball the sea and use my instinct even in the water you can feel how a swell is working and using your knowledge of beaches and tides voila result...only really works locally so not for everyone...

Yep, that's pretty much what I do and as you say is probaly the best method.

mal-nourished wrote:i have the best method of surf forecating i keep it simple i take it on a day to day basis i eyeball the sea and use my instinct even in the water you can feel how a swell is working and using your knowledge of beaches and tides voila result...only really works locally so not for everyone...

Yep, that's pretty much what I do and as you say is probaly the best method.

Ditto guys.

It's a great place to be if you have worked hard to achieve this and go surfing when you want

plappers wrote:...it wasn't a forecast for wales though was it turdbreath.

Nice measured response there. However, I was speaking of the SW of the UK and there's been surf all week, I never mentioned Wales, why do you think I did?Check surf reports of Devon and Cornwall if you want to know what's actually been happening in the actual sea as opposed to your armchair.

Anyway, the fact is your ahem "forecast" was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay off. Just man the fuck up and admit it.

Why have you got such an axe to grind? - Negativity is always going to get a tongue lashing from me old man and from what I've seen and heard, there have been waves here and there but its been far from pumping - southwesterly winds for the most part and various degrees of sloppiness.

plappers wrote:Why have you got such an axe to grind? - Negativity is always going to get a tongue lashing from me old man and from what I've seen and heard, there have been waves here and there but its been far from pumping - southwesterly winds for the most part and various degrees of sloppiness.

No axe to grind whatsoever, I just responded to being called turdbreath which was totally uncalled for.

Bottom line is if you post up forecasts and they are not accurate then surely you can expect to be called up for it. Which is all I did by stating it was not entirely accurate as there is and has been surf since Tuesday. Various reports from Cornhole and Devon today giving 3-5ft, where I was was solid 4-6ft and clean.

plappers wrote:hahaha its howling onshore by the looks of things and a right old mess, so clearly you haven't got a clue what you are on about donkey dick.

Oh dear, more insults from the asswipe who pretends to forecast surf. Where I surfed which will remain nameless was solid overhead and CLEAN cross offshore and as the tide dropped got nicely hollow.

Anyway, the whole point of this was to show you that there has been waves all week whereas your so called forecast said there'd be NONE. Disregarding the actual shape/cleanness of face etc there's been surf all week. Care to dispute that FACT?

Stick to London, there's enough weekend warriors around as it is. I expect the very rare occasion you venture to the beach you've got your boardies over your wetsuit and stride manfully out with Bic firmly under puny arm prior to flailing around in the white water.

Perhaps you'd better take your own advice and fuck off to Portugal, maybe your guesses, erm, "forecast" would go better if done in another language.

Nope, you started this childish spat so I responded. Why should I have an axe to grind? As far as I can recall this is the first time I have replied to a post by you or even heard of you so how can I have an agenda? I just think you realise you fucked up your forecast got found out but won't admit it.Anyway, Olympics on so I'm off for a spot of sofa surfing, you're probably world class at it....

i dont think that surf forecating can ever be truly accurate as it stands for the reason sandbars rips and other factors are allways going to come into play ....how many times have peeps on here built themselves up on the promise of a epic swell to be then frustated trying to find a sufable wave or bank ....people like myself who have local knowledge find this scenario a lot travelling surfers must find this even more so...forecasts are good tools for getting a indication of imminent swells but im still of the opinion to get it right on a daily basis for every spot iis a big ask but great than people like ben and plappers are trying ro improve all the time the accuracy.... also i agree wirh mountain man and black on the fact there has still been good days durung the wave drought period and some spots in this area have been all time but very short lived so again a good local knowledge or jiust... good luck has paid off for some..